Shipping basket



1 Nov. 14, 1933. w, LANE 1,934,983

SHIPPING B-ASKET Filed Aug. 11, 1932 INVENTOR WD. LANE.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 14, 1933 c UNITED TATES PATENT OFFlCE" Eggerss-OFlyngCompany, Omaha, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska Application August 11,1932. Serial No. 628,394 cfolaim (01. 225-23) My invention relates toshipping baskets or posing the short fiapsl'? to overlap the adjoiningcontainers for fruits and vegetables. Itis the partsof the body-portions10,and securingthe object of my invention to provide an eflicient andoverlapped parts together by suitable means, such economical shippingcontainer, especially adapted as the staples 18. The container may thenbe for use with products, such as fruits, which are folded at thediagonally opposite corners, to the 6Q subject to bruising, and whichrequire a certain flat storage formation shown in Fig. 4, in whichamount of ventilation to prevent spoilage during it may remain untilrequired for use. storage and transportation thereof. A further When thecontainer is to be used, it is first object of my invention is toprovide a basket-like expanded until the upper and lower edges of the.10 container of fabricated sheet material, such as body-portions and 14are at right angles to 5 corrugated strawboard, which is flexible andeach other, after which the flaps 11 are turned, slightly compressibleto afford a cushioning effect in to bring their edges together, then theflaps upon objects lying in contact therewith. A furare similarly turnedin to overlap the flaps 11, ther object of my invention is to provide aconand said flaps are then secured together to close 15 tainer of theabove character having a formation the large end or top of thecontainer. The con- 70 such thataplurality of the containers may occupytainer is then placed in the inverted position,

a minimum space, while affording suitable venwith the flaps 12 and 16extending upwardly as tilating passages between the several units of theshown in Fig. 5, for convenience in filling. When assemblage. Afurtherobject is to provide a con-, apples, or other fruit with whichface-and-fill tainer of the class above mentioned having nonpacking iscustomarily employed, is to be packed, 7 5 protruding means serving ashandles for lifting the facing layer of the fruit is first arranged thesame. Afurther object is'to provide a conupon the large, or temporarybottom, end of the tainer having bottom and cover portions formedcontainer, after which the filling is completed integrally therewith andseparately openable, at random to the level of the attached edges of .25whereby the container may be filled from the the flaps 12 and 16, thenthe flaps 12 are turned bottom when desired, to facilitate face-and-fillin over the filling, the aps 16 tu ned in t0 0V8!- packing thereof. Afurther object of my invenlap the flaps 12, and said flaps permanentlysetion is to provide a container of the class described cured or sea dtogether- After the filling Of which may be packed or stored in a foldedforthe container the same is placed in its normal 30 mation, whereby tooccupy a minimum storage position, with the smaller end downward asshown 85 r space until the same is required for use. in Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 isa plan Ventilation of the containeris afforded by a view of a container embodying my invention, Fig.plurality of holes 19 formed in the body-members 2 is a bottom View ofthe same, Fig. 3 is a trans- 10 and 14 near the lower edges thereof, andholes verse vertical section thereof on the line 33 of 20 in the upperportions of said body-members. 90

Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the container in its In the members 14the holes 20 are preferably folded or storage formation, and Fig. 5 is aside arranged in a horizontal row near the center and view thereof infilling formation and position. adjacent to the upper edges of the sidesformed In carrying out my invention according to the by said members,the holes being so proportioned preferred and illustrated embodimentthereof, the and spaced asto permit the fingers of a persons 95container is of frusto-pyramidal form, each of its hand to be insertedtherein, so that the portions four sides being trapezoidal, and the topand botof the body-members above said rows of holes tom being square.The container is made from comprise non-protruding handles forconvenience flat sheets of suitable material, such as doublein liftingthe container.

faced corrugated strawboard, there being a pair When a plurality of thefilled and closed con- 9' of sheets of which the body-portions 10 haverectainers are assembled for storage or transportatangular flaps 11 and12 at their upper and lower tion, the same may be placed in parallelrows, andedges only, and a pair of sheets 14 having recmay also bestacked or piled to any desired height. v tangular flaps 15 and 16 attheir upper and lower In such an assemblage, if the containers are alledges, respectively, and short flaps 17 at their similarlydisposed,either in normal or inverted.

oppositely inclined or oblique edges. The blanks position, their sideswill be in contact only ad- 01' sheets are bent along the lines betweenthe joining thelarger ends, and suflicient space afbody-portions and theseveral flaps, and are asforded between the rows for the circulation ofsembled by placing the oblique edges of the bodyair, while theshippingor storage space is utilized 55 portions 10 and 14 in appositionalternately, as fully as possible without retricting the air cirupculation. For products which do not require ventilation, the alternatecontainers may be inverted, so that the storage space will be fullyutilized.

v By the use of corrugated strawboard for the sheets from which thecontainers are formed, all sides of the containers are effective ascushions which are locally yieldable to avoid crushing or bruising, whenthe contents are articles, such as fruits, subject to injuries of thischaracter. The fiat sides of the containers may also bulge slightly fromoutward pressure of the contents, to afford an additional cushioningeffect or accommodation 1 other pair of body-members, and rectangularflaps integral with the body-members at the upper and lower paralleledges thereof and foldable in overlapping relation to form a cover and abottom for the frusto-pyramidal body.

2. A collapsible shipping basket for fruits and the like, comprisingoppositely disposed pairs of trapezoidal body-members of corrugatedstrawboard having parallel upper and lower edges and oblique lateraledges, said oblique edges arranged in apposition whereby said membersform the sides of a frusto-pyramidal body, one body-member at eachcorner of said body having an integral flap overlapping and secured tothe adjoining body-member, rectangular flaps integral with thebody-members at the upper and lower parallel edges thereof and foldablein overlapping relation to form a cover and bottom for thefrustopyramidal body, and said body being foldable at the diagonallyopposite corners tola flat storage formation with.the top andbottomflaps extended in the planes of the respective body-members onwhich'the same are carried.

' WILLIAMD. LANE.

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